The electronic distribution of content over a communications network, such as the internet or a public switched telephone network (PSTN), is pervasive. A facsimile (fax) is one type of content that is electronically communicated over these types of networks. For example, a fax can be communicated from one device or system (i.e., the originator) to another device or system (i.e., the receiver). Exemplary devices or systems that can act as the originator or receiver include standalone fax machines and email accounts. Currently, there are various services that allow a user to send faxes from a computer over the internet. However, a drawback of the currently available services and systems for content distribution over a network is that the originating device or system must have a local copy of the content that is to be distributed.
A common experience when distributing content is via fax. One major problem with fax is that it requires the originator (sender) to have physical possession of the content that he wants to distribute. This is commonly achieved by printing out the content onto paper, providing the paper to a fax machine, and then the fax machine sends the content electronically through a phone line to the desired destination. This can also be achieved by sending the content from a computer over IP (Internet Protocol), such as fax over IP, as is well known in the art.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art architecture for sending content over a network, and FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a prior art content delivery process. A user seeking to distribute content accesses his computer 10 and retrieves a file from local storage, such as a disk 13 or other memory device 15, such as a hard disk drive associated with the computer 10. The computer 10 connects to a server, such as a fax server 20, over a network 18 (step 200) and provides the selected content to the fax server 20 (step 210), along with a selected distribution address or fax number (step 220). The fax server 20 then initiates a connection over a network 28 with the receiver's device, such as a fax machine 30 and provides the content over the network 28 to the fax machine 30 (step 230).
Thus, conventionally, the originator must have either a physical copy of the content desired to be transmitted or a local resident memory that stores the content desired to be distributed. This is disadvantageous because oftentimes a user will want to send content, such as a fax, over a network but neither have a physical copy of that content or have that content locally stored.
It is common for web faxing services to allow a user to upload a file to their server right before faxing, but there is no system or method that stores documents on a server and allows them to be manipulated remotely for distribution such as by faxing.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for systems and methods that overcome the limitations and drawbacks of the prior art.